Critics agree that much of Southeast Asia desperately needs judicial reform and rule of law. Yet, there is remarkably little comparative scholarship on law and legal institutions in the region. In this blog, I'll follow constitutional developments in Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Constitutional Tribunal - we hardly knew ye (Myanmar/Burma)

Well, it looks like the threat of impeachment finally got to the members of Myanmar's Constitutional Tribunal. According to Xinhua news, all nine members "voluntarily" resigned on September 6. Now the parliament and president will have to choose members to replace them.

A good day for parliamentary supremacy in Myanmar, but a bad day for judicial independence.

UPDATE (9/7/12):

The official announcement of the tribunal members' resignations:

Republic of the Union of Myanmar

President Office

Order No. 29/2012

5th Waning of Wagaung, 1374 ME

(6th September, 2012)

Resignations of Chairman and members of Constitutional Tribunal of the Union allowed

According to provisions on Section 331 of the Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and Section 28 of the Constitutional Tribunal of the Union Law, resignations of the following chairman and members of the Constitutional Tribunal of the Union were allowed of their own accord.

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About Dom

Dominic Nardi is a third year Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan in the Political Science Department. He is interested in judicial politics in developing countries, particularly Myanmar, the Philippines, and Indonesia. His dissertation research focuses on how non-state actors influence judicial behavior. In addition to his research at the U of M, he has also worked for legal organizations in Indonesia and the Philippines and has published articles about judicial politics in Southeast Asia both in law reviews and in popular media.